{"id":19538,"date":"2011-09-08T22:03:22","date_gmt":"2011-09-09T05:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=19538"},"modified":"2022-09-08T11:06:09","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T18:06:09","slug":"towering-inferno-the-1974-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=19538","title":{"rendered":"Towering Inferno, The (1974)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[<strong>Note:<\/strong> The following review is of a non-Peary title; click <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=4388\">here<\/a> to read more.]<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;For what it&#8217;s worth, architect, this is one building I figured would never burn.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Poster-204x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-62481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Poster-204x300.png 204w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Poster-698x1024.png 698w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Poster-87x128.png 87w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Poster-184x270.png 184w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Poster.png 723w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA fire chief (Steve McQueen) collaborates with the architect (Paul Newman) of a burning high-rise to help save the hundreds of people inside.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Disaster Flicks<\/li>\n<li>Ensemble Cast<\/li>\n<li>Faye Dunaway Films<\/li>\n<li>Fred Astaire Films<\/li>\n<li>Jennifer Jones Films<\/li>\n<li>Paul Newman Films<\/li>\n<li>Richard Chamberlain Films<\/li>\n<li>Steve McQueen Films<\/li>\n<li>William Holden Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nIt&#8217;s not clear to me why Peary left out this blockbuster disaster flick &#8212; which deservedly won Oscars for both best cinematography and best editing &#8212; from his <em>GFTFF<\/em>, given that it remains one of the best of this distinctive (albeit overly and badly populated) genre. Despite its nearly three-hour running time, <em>The Towering Inferno<\/em> &#8212; unlike oh-so-many of its would-be imitators &#8212; never lags, providing thrill after thrill, and keeping us consistently engaged in the fates of its cast members from the opening scenes. Newman and McQueen are both excellent (and appropriately stalwart) in critical leading roles:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Newman2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Newman2-1024x491.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"307\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62539\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Newman2-1024x491.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Newman2-300x144.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Newman2-128x61.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Newman2-768x369.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Newman2-1536x737.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Newman2-563x270.png 563w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Newman2.png 1815w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-McQueen2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-McQueen2-1024x500.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"313\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62537\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-McQueen2-1024x500.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-McQueen2-300x146.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-McQueen2-128x62.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-McQueen2-768x375.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-McQueen2-1536x750.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-McQueen2-553x270.png 553w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-McQueen2.png 1813w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>and several other Big Names (Fred Astaire, Jennifer Jones, William Holden):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Astaire-Jones.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Astaire-Jones-1024x485.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"303\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Astaire-Jones-1024x485.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Astaire-Jones-300x142.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Astaire-Jones-128x61.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Astaire-Jones-768x364.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Astaire-Jones-1536x727.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Astaire-Jones-570x270.png 570w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Astaire-Jones.png 1827w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>are given worthy supporting roles. Meanwhile, the film&#8217;s very premise &#8212; a wealthy playboy (Richard Chamberlain, giving a truly hiss-worthy performance):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Chamberlain2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Chamberlain2-1024x489.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"306\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Chamberlain2-1024x489.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Chamberlain2-300x143.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Chamberlain2-128x61.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Chamberlain2-768x367.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Chamberlain2-1536x733.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Chamberlain2-566x270.png 566w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Chamberlain2.png 1829w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>cuts costs by ordering inferior materials, which ultimately compromise the structure&#8217;s integrity &#8212; is gripping through-and-through, given how feasible this type of high-level corruption could easily be. Holden&#8217;s role &#8212; as Chamberlain&#8217;s father-in-law, and the building&#8217;s financier &#8212; is particularly interesting to watch, as he comes to acknowledge his own implicit participation in the eventual manslaughter, and is crushingly humbled. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Holden2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Holden2-1024x490.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"306\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Holden2-1024x490.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Holden2-300x144.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Holden2-128x61.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Holden2-768x368.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Holden2-1536x735.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Holden2-564x270.png 564w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Holden2.png 1811w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Be forewarned, however, that <em>TTI<\/em> (as it&#8217;s affectionately referred to by its cult fans) <u>really<\/u> isn&#8217;t for the faint of heart. Nice people die throughout this movie &#8212; several times, badly, of horrible deaths. Certain images eerily evoke 9\/11; the comparison is undeniable. Indeed, if you possess even a shred of fear about dying in a fire one day, stay far, far away from this film, as it presents this possibility in all its visceral horror. Actually, I&#8217;m seriously tempted to label <em>TTI <\/em>a &#8220;horror flick&#8221;, given the sheer potency of its death scenes, and the way in which Fire is posited as an outrageously powerful Monster, capable of causing unspeakable harm to those in its wake. Be sure to read <a href=\"https:\/\/dev.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/416013\/the-towering-inferno#articles-reviews?articleId=145074\">TCM&#8217;s article<\/a> for plenty of interesting background information about the film&#8217;s production (and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0072308\/trivia?tr=tr0566697\">infamously sticky inter-cast relations<\/a>) &#8212; or go straight to the source and check out <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thetoweringinferno.info\/\">this impressive website<\/a> (19 years old! beware of some dead links&#8230;) dedicated exclusively to the film. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Truly impressive special effects<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Special-Effects.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Special-Effects.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Special-Effects.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Special-Effects-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Special-Effects-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Still.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Still.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-19541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Still.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Still-128x72.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Still-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Towering-Inferno-Still-1024x576.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Stirling Silliphant&#8217;s surprisingly smart screenplay\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, for its historical relevance as one of the best of the  early big-budget, big-cast, big-money-making disaster flicks. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cult Movie<\/li>\n<li>Historically Relevant<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0072308\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1974\/12\/20\/archives\/the-towering-inferno-firstrate-visual-spectacle.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/the-towering-inferno-1974\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dev.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/416013\/the-towering-inferno#articles-reviews?articleId=145074\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-towering-inferno\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[Note: The following review is of a non-Peary title; click here to read more.] &#8220;For what it&#8217;s worth, architect, this is one building I figured would never burn.&#8221; Synopsis: A fire chief (Steve McQueen) collaborates with the architect (Paul Newman) of a burning high-rise to help save the hundreds of people inside. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Disaster Flicks Ensemble Cast Faye Dunaway Films Fred Astaire Films Jennifer Jones Films Paul Newman Films Richard Chamberlain Films Steve McQueen Films William&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=19538\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-missing-title-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19538"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87023,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19538\/revisions\/87023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}